5 Points To Ponder – Frontstretchhttps://frontstretch.com
Best seat at the track, best view on the web!Fri, 09 Dec 2016 21:38:21 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.15 Points to Ponder: First Steps and Inside NASCAR’s Championship 4https://frontstretch.com/2016/11/15/5-points-to-ponder-first-steps-and-inside-nascars-championship-4/
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 05:29:30 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=127236ONE: The Championship 4 After nine weeks of “playoff” competition we’re done to the final four drivers who will compete for the prize of being crowned the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion — the final award handed out by Sprint after a decade plus of title sponsorship. And it’s a good quartet. You have the …

After nine weeks of “playoff” competition we’re done to the final four drivers who will compete for the prize of being crowned the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion — the final award handed out by Sprint after a decade plus of title sponsorship. And it’s a good quartet. You have the reigning champion in Kyle Busch, the six time champion Jimmie Johnson seeking a record equaling seventh title. You also have two drivers who are yet to win a title in Carl Edwards and Joey Logano. Edwards, in particular, has missed out at this stage before – notably in 2011 when he finished tied on points with the eventual champion Tony Stewart who held the tie-breaker thanks to his five Chase wins. And finally Joey Logano — a driver who in a parallel universe might have won the title last year were it not for the Martinsville incident with Matt Kenseth. Who will win is anyone’s guess and you can certainly make a case for each of the quartet being the champion after 400 miles this Sunday afternoon. I suspect the fortunes and fates of each driver will fluctuate throughout the race but when it comes down to it, the driver who wants to be champion will likely have to win the race, as has been the case in the previous two years of this particular iteration. Whatever your opinion on said format, Sunday should be fun to watch. Enjoy it folks. We’ve got a long break before the 2017 season kicks off in earnest with the Daytona 500.

TWO: The Alternate Final Four

Since I mentioned a parallel universe with regard to Joey Logano, there’s also a case for an alternate final four based on this season’s form. So with that in mind, if Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex, Jr., Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin or Matt Kenseth were the final four this weekend would you have any complaints? Probably not to be fair. Sure, you’d be able to make a case for the four above (the actual final four) to be included but this list above could easily have been the quartet making up the championship chasers at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Such are the vagaries of this playoff system of ours. Martin Truex Jr. in particular probably feels hard done by that he didn’t make it to Miami with a chance at winning it all but you could make the same case for the other drivers I’ve listed above. The simple fact remains, though, that only one driver can win it all and, under this particular system, drivers who quote unquote deserve to make it have no guarantee that they actually will.

One in, one out: there wasn’t enough room at the Homestead in for everyone. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade /NKP)

THREE: The First Step

And from championship contenders, and those frustrated with not having a chance to contend, a quick look at the other end of the spectrum and Myatt Snider, who ended up with a credible lead-lap 17th-place finish in his first ever Camping World Truck Series race. Snider drove the # 22 Toyota Tundra for AM Racing with sponsorship coming from Original Louisiana Hot Sauce who had backed the 21-year old in his nine ARCA races this season. “I was feeling pretty optimistic going in,” noted Snider to Frontstretch.com. “I had out-qualified a couple trucks who were going to be cream of the crop.” And then in true racing style, Snider had a real welcome to NASCAR moment in the very first turn of his very first lap at the top echelon. “Everybody is breaking into the corner” said Snider of his eventful lap, “I didn’t want to run into anyone and I hear my spotter say “inside” and then I’m going around.” Luckily Snider just grazed the wall and was able to fit for fresh tires and continue his race. “Please don’t let this be a theme for the night,” noted Snider of that incident. And thankfully for the North Carolina native it wasn’t even making a last lap pass on the outside to finish 17th. Snider’s biggest learning on the night was how the air affected his truck, especially when mired back in traffic. And when asked about his well-known father, popular NBC Sports broadcaster Marty Snider, the rookie noted: “I couldn’t do it without him. He’s a huge help in every single aspect. There are not words I can say to emphasize how grateful I am for him.” Expect more from Snider in 2017, he’s definitely one to watch.

FOUR: The Final Race

Next up, as you’ll probably be more than well aware it’s the final race of the season. This will be race number 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the fifteenth time (in a row) it has been the final race of the NASCAR season. The first race, appropriately enough was won by Tony Stewart with Bobby Labonte finishing second and NBC’s own Jeff Burton coming in third. Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart have both won at Miami three times (most among active drivers) with Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick tied for the most top-5 finishes (seven apiece). And perhaps a harbinger of what is to come this weekend, Carl Edwards has led the most laps (568). Edwards also holds the second best average finish (9.2) with only Kevin Harvick ahead of him (7.2). Another stat that might be worth noting is that only one driver has won the race leading a single lap (Bobby Labonte all the way back in 2003. What we’ve seen in both previous final races under this new format is that the winner of the race has won the championship (Kevin Harvick in 2014, Kyle Busch in 2015) so it’s probably fair to expect the race winner and thus the champion to come from the final four. Should be a fun one to watch.

FIVE: And finally….

I’m off on vacation next week so this will be the final column of my ninth year writing full time for this fine site. As always, it is a pleasure and a privilege to have this outlet. Okay, if I’m honest some weeks can be excruciatingly difficult (especially those off weeks) but for the most part I never forget how fun it is to be able to write on all things NASCAR. I want to give a quick shout out as well to the fine folks who edit me and try to make sense of all my crazy British words and phraseology. Thanks, too, to everyone who has commented, including those who have told me I’m an idiot. There are times when you’re probably absolutely right. Enjoy Championship weekend everybody. I’ll catch you in the 2017 pre-season.

]]>Five Points to Ponder: The Junior Factorhttps://frontstretch.com/2016/10/31/five-points-to-ponder-the-junior-factor/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/31/five-points-to-ponder-the-junior-factor/#commentsTue, 01 Nov 2016 02:13:52 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=126583ONE: The Earnhardt Factor The TV ratings numbers for NASCAR have been far from pretty during the playoffs. In fact, downright horrible might be a better description. We’ve seen significant drops in every race so far but please note at the time of writing Martinsville numbers were not available. The Chase opener at Chicagoland saw …

The TV ratings numbers for NASCAR have been far from pretty during the playoffs. In fact, downright horrible might be a better description. We’ve seen significant drops in every race so far but please note at the time of writing Martinsville numbers were not available. The Chase opener at Chicagoland saw a 17% drop from last year, New Hampshire Motor Speedway a 15% drop, Dover International Speedway suffered a 21% reduction, Charlotte Motor Speedway a 14% decrease, Kansas Speedway a 9% drop with Talladega SuperSpeedway seeing shrinkage in results of some 16%. All told, give or take a percentage point at Kansas, each race has suffered double digit losses in TV audience. Now on the one hand this continues a trend we’ve witnessed for several years now. But on the other hand, even the mighty NFL is suffering: Monday Night Football is 24% down, year on year while Sunday and Thursday night prime time games are down 19% and 18%. So it’s not like this is happening in a vacuum. One thought I did have, though, is how would these numbers have changed had Dale Earnhardt, Jr. been competing in the Chase (as he likely would have been had he not suffered the concussion related injury)? Would the #88 have boosted numbers? Quite possibly, I’d posit. Of course there’s no way to find out but it can at least been seen as a mitigating factor, if nothing else.

TWO: Three to Go

It’s hard to believe that 33 races are in the books and just three races remain in 2016. We have 500 miles on the high banks of Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday, 312 miles at Phoenix International Raceway a week later before we finish up with 400 title deciding miles at Homestead-Miami Raceway. Then it’s a full two months of the off-season before we get back it, once again, with the curtain raising season opener — the Daytona 500 on Sunday February 26th, 2017. So all told, we have just 1,212 miles of competitive racing between now and a champion being crowned on November 20 which also happens to be my birthday. So there is that, too. Feel free to send gifts to Frontstretch HQ. Anyway, back to my main point which is simply this: now is the time for the seven drivers still in contention for the final four (and more on the eight, Jimmie Johnson, below). We still haven’t seen anything like the level of drama we have in the previous two iterations of this playoff format but there’s still time for that to be the case. Perhaps even more so if Johnson wins at Texas meaning more places would be available on points standings. Should be fun to watch.

THREE: Seven Up

Oh, hello, Jimmie Johnson. Suddenly six-time is in the hunt for seven after an early season slump. (Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

Despite the mutterings of Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch to the contrary, Jimmie Johnson put something of a beat down on the field at one of his very best tracks. Johnson tied his car owner (and sixth place finisher) Jeff Gordon with nine – count ‘em – wins at the little old paperclip. Johnson’s victory was career win number 79, his fourth victory of the year, and his second of the Chase — the first of which came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in race number five of the playoffs. In short, the six-time champion is very much putting down a marker as being the driver to beat this season. Given the dominance we’ve seen from the Joe Gibbs Racing quartet and the satellite JGR team of Martin Truex, Jr., Johnson’s smooth path through to the final round has to be worrying for the rest of the field. Not least because for much of the early to middle part of the season, the Hendrick Motorsports team looked off the pace. “I’m way impressed with, especially from where we came from to where we’ve ended up,” said Johnson post-race of the turnaround. “It’s one thing to see progress, but to advance and go back to leading a lot of laps and contending for many wins is very, very impressive.” And impressive it is, and terrifying for the three other drivers who will make up the final four at Homestead.

FOUR: Gordon’s Last Hurrah?

In the end it was a very solid sixth place finish for Jeff Gordon in what “may” be his final top echelon race of a 25-year, 805-race career. This time last year, Gordon won this race, punching his ticket for a final four spot at Homestead-Miami Raceway in ebullient style. And were it not for the concussion related issues suffered by Dale Earnhardt Jr, we wouldn’t have seen him a Cup car again. So was that really the last run for the four-time champion. “Or is it?” said Gordon post-race. “Based on the information I have in front of me [it was his final race] But I didn’t see me running eight races this year, either.” So maybe it’s a case of “Never Say Never Again” as the old James Bond movie title goes. But it does seem, assuming Junior is back in full health for 2017, that this was indeed the last hurrah for the surefire first ballot NASCAR Hall of Fame driver. It has been fun to watch Gordon playing with house money over the eight races he’s contended in 2016. So if Sunday’s 500-lapper at Martinsville Speedway was indeed the final run of his illustrious career, it was a pretty good way to go out. Enjoy your retirement, Jeff. Or maybe not. We shall see.

FIVE: And finally….

In yet another reminder that anything can happen in NASCAR we saw another bizarre incident on Sunday when NASCAR took a whopping 29 laps of caution (and 20 minutes of actual time) to sort out the running order after a blown tire for Carl Edwards brought out the caution on lap 356 of 500. Now it is easy in hindsight to say NASCAR should have thrown a red flag but Monday morning quarterbacking always has the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.

Frustrated it took as long as it did on lineup. Unique circumstance but Understand frustration from fans and can only work to be quicker

“Frustrated it took as long as it did on lineup. Unique circumstance but Understand frustration from fans and can only work to be quicker.” Noted Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer on Twitter in the aftermath of Sunday’s race. Given the unique and mitigating circumstances it’s hard to be too critical of NASCAR. But heaven forbid the chaos that would ensue should something similar transpire in the final race. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/31/five-points-to-ponder-the-junior-factor/feed/75 Points to Ponder: The Best Track in NASCARhttps://frontstretch.com/2016/10/25/5-points-to-ponder-the-best-track-in-nascar/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/25/5-points-to-ponder-the-best-track-in-nascar/#commentsTue, 25 Oct 2016 06:09:41 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=126181ONE: Martinsville I’ve said it many times before, and I’m sure I’ll continue to say it as long as the editors allow me to keep writing this column. There’s nothing in NASCAR that can’t be fixed, at least temporarily, with a visit to the oldest, slowest and flattest track in the sport. Martinsville Speedway is …

I’ve said it many times before, and I’m sure I’ll continue to say it as long as the editors allow me to keep writing this column. There’s nothing in NASCAR that can’t be fixed, at least temporarily, with a visit to the oldest, slowest and flattest track in the sport. Martinsville Speedway is a true gem on the NASCAR schedule, a shining light – no pun intended given the given the upcoming installation of LED lights – that hearkens back to a bygone era of stock car racing. And yet, every time we visit, the race is still compelling: 500 laps of red hot brakes and plenty of bumping and grinding.

The truth is we should cherish every visit to Martinsville and never take it lightly. We’ve seen enough changes in the sport to know that nothing lasts forever. At least we know for the next five years Martinsville will keep its pair of dates, and let’s hope that is a streak that continues until I am very old and very gray. This Sunday’s 500-lap contest will be race number 136 at the little old paper clip – a streak that goes all the way back (waaaay back) to race number six in 1949, NASCAR’s inaugural season. That race was won by Red Byron, who went on to compete in 15 Cup races across three years. I can’t wait for the next chapter in Martinsville’s illustrious history this weekend. Is it Sunday afternoon yet?

The next three races will see us visit a flat half-mile track (Martinsville) and a cookie-cutter mile-and-a-half track (Texas Motor Speedway) before we finish up this penultimate segment at Phoenix International Raceway. Given what we’ve seen so far this Chase, I’d hate to make any kind of a prediction as to who races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And whether you like it or not, expect plenty of drama in the next three weeks.

And just like that, only eight of the original Chase drivers are still standing. (Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

THREE: Keselowski Wheezes Out:

Sunday was a tough afternoon for 2012 Sprint Cup Champion and Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, who looked like he had the car to beat all day long – right up until the point his engine gave up the ghost.

“[We had] a tremendous race going, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” said Keselowski. “Just the way it goes.”

Keselowski led 90 of the 144 laps he managed and for a while it certainly looked like he was going to tie Dale Earnhardt’s record of three consecutive victories at restrictor-plate tracks. Any time you’re close to the record of one of the sport’s legends you know you’re doing something right. Keselowski, let’s not forget, won at Talladega in May and then again at Daytona International Speedway in the July night race. A contributing factor in Keselowski’s engine failure may well have been a simple piece of debris that somehow attached itself to his grille, while leading.

“I’m not an engine guy, but the car was really strong, and we definitely kept finding debris,” continued Keselowski of his engine woes. “I thought I got it cooled off and only got it slightly over [the maximum temperature], but I don’t know.”

So a second championship is not to be for Keselowski but if we know anything about the the nine-year, 265-race veteran, he’ll be back strong. Don’t be surprised if he wins a couple more before the season is all said and done.

FOUR: Truex, Jr. Season Expires with Engine

Another driver who had a tough day for Martin Truex, Jr who finished last for just the fifth time in his 401-race top echelon career. Like Keselowski, Truex, Jr.’s engine expired after just 41 of the scheduled 188 laps. It was the first engine failure Truex Jr. had suffered since the 2014 Daytona 500 – some 103 races ago.

“It’s disappointing. I mean, what else can you say?” said Truex to NBC Sports. “I feel like we had a team capable of competing for the championship and it’s unfortunate we’re not going to be able to show that.”

And yes it is indeed extremely unfortunate for Truex who would have been a popular champion. Truex, who won two of the first three Chase races (Chicagoland Speedway and at his home town track Dover International Raceway) and has looked the best on mile-and-a-half circuits all year long is left to rue what might have been. Still, given where he was after the Richmond debacle of 2013, which saw him lose his Michael Waltrip Racing ride through no real fault of his own, Truex has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. There will be other titles to compete for, that you can count on.

FIVE: JGR Debate

And finally, a quick word on the strategy of the Joe Gibbs Racing trio of Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, who ran around at the back avoiding trouble all day long. Now I know there are plenty of folks fired up about their approach to the race – just dive into the acerbic Twitter comments on the issue if you don’t know what I mean. Here was Kyle Busch’s succinct summary:

Simply put, I don’t have a problem with it. The JGR threesome did what they needed to do to make it to the next round. I know some say they didn’t race at 100 percent, but the fact is they knew what they needed to do all race long and they executed. We’ve seen participants with a comfortable points leads eliminated during this race in the past two years.

“Yeah, I knew that strategy was going to be in play,” said the fourth JGR racer, Denny Hamlin. “I mean, obviously when you have three guys that realistically just don’t need to wreck to get in, and you have one that needs to go out there and almost win to get in, you can’t sacrifice the three guaranteed spots that you got to try to get one more in.”

And this from a guy who could absolutely have done with the help of his three teammates. So there you go. At least next year we won’t have this problem.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/25/5-points-to-ponder-the-best-track-in-nascar/feed/55 Points to Ponder: NASCAR Remains Without 2017 Title Sponsorhttps://frontstretch.com/2016/10/18/5-points-to-ponder-nascar-remains-without-2017-title-sponsor/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/18/5-points-to-ponder-nascar-remains-without-2017-title-sponsor/#commentsTue, 18 Oct 2016 05:12:37 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=125897ONE: Chase complications So here we are. It’s 500 miles of white-knuckle riding on the biggest, baddest track in the sport. I always feel that sounds like something of a cliché, an easy writer tool to describe the terrors of Talladega Superspeedway but the fact is it’s true. And never more so when championship hopes …

So here we are. It’s 500 miles of white-knuckle riding on the biggest, baddest track in the sport. I always feel that sounds like something of a cliché, an easy writer tool to describe the terrors of Talladega Superspeedway but the fact is it’s true. And never more so when championship hopes are on the line. One little wiggle at the wrong time from one of the drivers and chaos can ensue in spectacular, metal bending fashion.

With Jimmie Johnson and now Kevin Harvick safely in the round of eight, not even Matt Kenseth, who is 29 markers to the good in third place, can feel safe. This is a race in which anything can happen. Just look at what happened during this race last year when Harvick, who had an expiring motor, stacked up the field on the green-white-checkers changing the playoff picture in an instance.

Simply put this should not be a cut off race, there are just too many variables, and I’m extremely glad it will be the middle race of this segment in 2017. That’s a decision that couldn’t have come sooner. This weekend will mark Cup race number 95 at Talladega, a streak that stretches all the way back to 1969. And while this is a week that Fantasy NASCAR participants hate, one name that might be worth considering is Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who has the best average finish of active participants with 12.8 (3+ starts). Either way, this one is not a race to miss, even if you watch it between your fingers or behind a sofa.

TWO: 400 up for Martin Truex, Jr.

It was certainly an eventful weekend at Kansas Speedway for Martin Truex, Jr., who finished 11th in what was a milestone 400th Sprint Cup race for the Mayetta, NJ native. The truth is it could have been worse, so much worse, given the race-long refueling issues the team faced all race long at Kansas. And if the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy makes it all the way to being in contention in Homestead-Miami, Kansas will be a race he will look back on as one where he and his team absolutely dodged a bullet.

Martin Truex, Jr. hit a milestone last weekend in Kansas with his 400th career Sprint Cup start. (Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

“It’s a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately sport and to a huge extreme now in the Chase with this format,” Truex said post-race. “You gotta perform every single week. You have a bad week it could ruin your whole season.”

Truex now sits in seventh place, 13 points ahead of Austin Dillon, who is currently in ninth and out of the transfer spots. Given that Denny Hamlin was 18 points to the good this time last year (more on him below), second overall behind Joey Logano, who had won both races in the three-race segment, and didn’t make it to the net round, Truex can’t feel comfortable at all heading into the high banks in Alabama. But as ever, his outlook is optimistic.

“All in all it wasn’t a disaster, we did OK, we just gotta go to Talladega and hope that nothing crazy happens.”

Something tells me, though, that crazy will be the most apt word for next Sunday’s race. I’m not sure I even want to watch.

THREE: Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin started the season in the best possible fashion, winning the Daytona 500 and locking himself into the Chase early. It enabled his team to experiment in the early to middle part of the season, taking a long term approach to the playoffs. But Hamlin’s cushion has definitively evaporated as a sour engine while running second at Charlotte was compounded by all manner of issues at Kansas. Hamlin ended up 15th this past Sunday, which on some levels must have felt like a win. Now seven points below the cutoff, Hamlin needs a terrific day at Talladega (and others to have less stellar afternoons), but even after a horrible couple races he’s still has a good shot at making the final eight.

“Terrible,” said Hamlin of his afternoon in Kansas. “I mean, just everything went wrong. Stupid stuff. And then penalties when we shouldn’t have ‘em … just another year of the same stuff.”

As frustrating as it must be for the 29-win, 12-year veteran of some 393 races, the fact is he can still make it. Traditionally a strong plate racer, expect Hamlin to run up front as much as he possibly can. But with his season on a knife-edge, he can’t afford any mistakes. The trouble is the mistake might not be his own. Expect a nervous afternoon for the No. 11 team. But at least with the win up for grabs, his fate is still in his own hands. At the end of the day you can’t ask for much more than that at the sharp end of the season.

FOUR: Still no new title sponsor

Still no word on who will replace Sprint as the title sponsor. We’re about 130 days from the 2017 Daytona 500 so at this stage, a replacement company will have to go into overdrive the minute it signs on the dotted line as it formulates a plan for a new season. What does appear clear is that the 10 year, one billion dollar starting price will be significantly discounted, perhaps as low as 30-40 million over four to five years. NASCAR will want a long term partner to line up with the new FOX and NBC deals but as time slips away the likelihood of that seems less and less likely.

“It all has to be at the right level and the right price. It all has to be customized,” said Kim Meesters, general manager of the NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsorship, to the USA TODAY Sports team. “That’s why it takes so long to put this kind of deal together.”

And yes, on the one hand I totally get that point. It’s a complicated, multi-layered deal without question. But now, just over four months from the 2017 Daytona 500 you have to wonder at what stage this deal will get done.

FIVE: The offseason is approaching

Just five weeks and five races remain until the end of the season, and as the title of this point suggests, the off-season is approaching fast. For a sport with such a long season, it still surprises me how quickly the end of the schedule arrives. Some of that might just be that I’m getting older (aren’t we all?), but before we know it we’ll be looking at a 98-day NASCAR vacuum. For some of you this may come as something of a blessed relief, and certainly for me it takes away the weekly column writing pressure, but I also really miss the regular cadence of weekend racing. I’ll certainly be enjoying the final five races (well, maybe not Talladega) as we finish up what has been a good year of racing in 2016.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/18/5-points-to-ponder-nascar-remains-without-2017-title-sponsor/feed/85 Points to Ponder: Ryan Newman’s Contract Extension Cements Role At RCRhttps://frontstretch.com/2016/10/11/five-points-newmans-contract-extension-cements-role-at-rcr/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/11/five-points-newmans-contract-extension-cements-role-at-rcr/#commentsTue, 11 Oct 2016 04:34:13 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=125633ONE: Talladega Looms Large If you watched the race broadcast this past Sunday, you couldn’t have failed to miss the fact that a number of the Chasers had trouble during the race. Specifically: Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott. It was a theme that was hammered home all day long …

It was a theme that was hammered home all day long and it really got me thinking about Talladega Superspeedway and the nightmare that could well become. Remember this race last year when Harvick (whose engine was expiring) wrecked at the green-white-checkered restart to end the day. It was something that didn’t go down well with none other than the mild-mannered, all-around nice guy Trevor Bayne noting, “”That’s a crappy way for Harvick to have to get in the Chase is to wreck somebody — what I believe on purpose.”

Another driver whose Chase hopes were extinguished by the wreck, Hamlin also noted on social media post-race: “What a joke we have a car with no motor wreck the field to end the race.”

Now, regardless of the rights and wrongs of that particular incident, I am thankful that this is the last year it will be a Chase cutoff race. There are just too many variables with restrictor plate racing. Too, too many. Post-Kansas, the picture may be much clearer but there will be Chasers heading onto the high banks knowing only a win will do. It could be a really ugly afternoon — I’m nervous already.

TWO: Seven Up

Just when we all thought Jimmie Johnson wasn’t going to be a factor and that the Joe Gibbs Racing quintet was going to race all the way to Homestead-Miami Speedway and the big prize, look who’s back in Victory Lane and looking very much like the threat to win it all we all know he always is.

Johnson, let’s not forget, led 118 laps at Chicagoland Speedway in the Chase opener and then 90 circuits at Dover International Speedway before pit road miscues took him out of contention. So the speed that was missing in the early and middle parts of the season is there. Plus, look at his finishes thus far in the Chase: 12th, eighth, seventh and now the victory at Charlotte.

“We have to take it one day at a time and one race at a time, and I still feel like we can bring better cars to the racetrack,” said Johnson post-race. “Right now we’ve hit on some things and we still have more ideas and we feel like more opportunity ahead of us.”

Given how well Johnson has run (on the actual track if not pit road) that should scare one or two of the remaining title challengers. I’ll leave the last word on this point to the man himself: “We can’t sit back and celebrate too much on this. We’ve got to buckle down and get to work tomorrow and keep advancing our racecars. But this does buy us a couple weeks of freedom.”

THREE: Doubleheaders

While I realize Sunday’s reverse double header – the Sprint Cup race was first then the XFINITY Series race afterward – was entirely down to the weather-related issues caused by Hurricane Matthew, how good was it to see two races essentially back-to-back?

And it got me thinking, wouldn’t it be great to see this happen more often? You often hear drivers complain about how long the race weekends are with the Friday-Sunday schedule, so why not shorten that down as well and have a two-day double header? Practices and qualifying for both on Saturday, then the two main races on Sunday. The XFINITY Series race could run first and then the Cup race. That way fans could double dip and really maximize their race day experience.

I know the tracks wouldn’t likely want to do it, but I think it’s something that could work out really well – not least for the fans actually attending. My guess is it would help add to the overall attendance numbers (which of course aren’t released anymore), and while it would be a long day for track workers, it would be a way to really create a spectacular all-day event.

Can Chase contender Matt Kenseth put last year’s Kansas spinout behind him this weekend and wind up in Victory Lane? (Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

FOUR: Next Up, Kansas

Next up, we head to Kansas Speedway for race No. 31 of 36 and for the second time of asking in the 2016 season. Last time we visited the 1.5-mile tri-oval was in the middle of May for what was then just the 11th race of the year. That event was won by Kyle Busch, who led the last 37 laps on the way to what was, at the time, already his third win of the year.

All told, this will be Cup race number 22 at the circuit. Statistically speaking, both Jeff Gordon (who won the first ever Cup race at Kansas) and Jimmie Johnson have three wins, with Gordon having the most top 5s (11) and Johnson the most top 10s (16). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Johnson has the best average finish of active drivers (9.2) while Matt Kenseth, who had such an eventful race here this time last year, has led the most laps with a total of 658.

Given Johnson has already secured his berth in the next round, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him go back to back. One thing is for sure, though, he won’t be spinning Matt Kenseth for a late win. Ol’ Six-Time knows better than to fall into that trap.

FIVE: The Gas Can Goes for a Ride

There are weekends when I wonder why I devote so much time to watching, reading and writing about NASCAR. But then typically just when I really start to feel this way, a little instance reminds me just why it is I so love this sport. One of those micro-moments happened this weekend in the XFINITY Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when Spencer Gallagher somehow left his pit box with the gas can still attached and made an entire lap of the track without losing the additional appendage to his race car. You can see some of it here.

This also occurred at a crucial point in the race too, with just 34 laps to go, and had a caution come out while the green flag pit stops were occurring, it could certainly have changed the race. Gallagher, let’s not forget, made the news earlier this year after a proper punch up with John Wes Townley after the race at Gateway Motorsports Park. I wonder if he’ll make it three crazy things before the year is out. Don’t bet against him.

FIVE PLUS: Newman Re-Ups with RCR

For those counting at home this is, indeed a sixth point but it was a late editorial request from our fearless leader Tom Bowles so who am I not to oblige? Plus, he said he’d buy me a beer… that same beer I’ve been waiting on for about a decade now. But, there you go. It’s in writing. Hopefully, it will help.

Finally this week, a quick word on Ryan Newman who has had a great couple of days. The 17-year veteran of 542 races finished a creditable fourth at Charlotte Sunday; it’s his second top-5 run of the season and second-best finish of the year. Then came Monday’s news he has re-upped with Richard Childress Racing, signing a multi-year deal to continue competing in the No. 31 Chevy he’s manned since 2014.

Newman, who has yet to win for RCR in 102 attempts, has 12 top 5s and 40 top-10 runs in that time. Commenting on the new deal, Newman referenced how close he came in his first season at RCR to winning it all when he finished second behind titlist Kevin Harvick. “Our goal to win a championship all but turned into a reality during our first year together,” he claimed. “I feel like since then we have some unfinished business to complete.”

Whether he can get there, time will tell, but for Newman it was huge just to get the opportunity. Many thought his ride would land to Ty Dillon for 2017; the owner’s grandson has been running part-time over in the No. 95 for Leavine Family Racing. The prognosis for Dillon is now uncertain but for Newman, with few rides open in this year’s Silly Season the contract provides him a fantastic opportunity to deliver on his unfinished business with perhaps the only top- or middle-tier ride left available to him.

Chris Buescher, whose No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team didn’t have the speed to truly compete with the rest of the top 16, will finish the year no worse than 16th in points, a giant leap above where he would have finished without the rain-shortened victory from Pocono. Meanwhile, Tony Stewart narrowly missed the cut by just 11 points, despite a 13th-place finish at Dover, something that can largely be attributed to sub-top-15 finishes in the first two races at Chicagoland and New Hampshire.

For Chip Ganassi Racing, it was a one-two punch when both Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson were eliminated. Early on, Larson lost power, forcing him down pit road where he lost a lap while the team worked on repairs. And to add insult to injury, the No. 42 team was busted for too many men over the pit wall, a pass-through penalty that cost him another two laps. Meanwhile, McMurray suffered an engine failure just shy of 200 laps in. Larson and McMurray finished 25th and 40th, respectively.

“It’s unfortunate that both the No. 42 (Kyle Larson) and the No. 1 had a problem today,” McMurray said after his engine failure. “But, it is what it is and that’s why we race. I’m proud of my team and proud of our guys and all the hard work they’ve put in. It stinks that it’s over this way, but we get to race next week. So, we’ll come back and try to do it again.”

Of course the beneficiary to CGR teammates’ poor luck at Dover was Austin Dillon, who leapfrogged over the pair and into the next round of the Chase on the strength of an eighth-place finish. Dillon joins Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott in the Round of 12.

TWO: Tony Stewart’s bid for a fourth championship is over

In a year that saw Tony Stewart sit out for the first eight races, many wondered if the owner/driver would even make the Chase, but a win at Sonoma gave him the opportunity to go out on top and hoist the championship trophy along the way. However, it clearly wasn’t meant to be despite a respectable 13th-place finish at Dover.

“I’m pretty excited about our day,” Stewart said in a team release. “We were much better than we were yesterday. Really proud of our team. We kept making it better all day. That is as good as we had.”

For Stewart, who has become increasingly frustrated with the role engineering plays each week, the season is far from over.

“We gave it 110 percent today,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a really good year, and we won’t let this get us down. There’s lots of racing left this season.”

Whether he gets another shot at Victory Lane this season remains to be seen, but you can bet Stewart will walk away with his head held high, no matter what. After all, he’ll finish in the top 16 in the standings, which will be his best points showing since 2012 when he finished ninth. Besides, not many can say they’re a three-time Sprint Cup champion with 49 wins and 307 top 10s.

Martin Truex, Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn have found the winning combination at the right time. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

THREE: Is Martin Truex, Jr. Your 2016 Sprint Cup Series Champion?

First, third, first, seventh, first.

Those are Martin Truex, Jr.’s race results for the last five events, but perhaps what’s more important is the statement the No. 78 team has made just three races into the Chase. An average finish of third, combined with 360 of 970 laps led (37 percent) can mean only one thing: Truex could end up winning it all this year.

“I guess right now it’s just our time,” Truex, Jr. said of the No. 78 team’s success in the Chase. “We’ve got a great team. We’ve got confidence, we’ve got momentum, and we’re just rolling with it and taking it one week at a time, and hopefully we can continue this for seven more weeks.”

While dominance in the first round of the Chase doesn’t always translate to success by the time the championship round rolls around, the reality is that the No. 78 team has been strong all season long. A quick look at the year’s results doesn’t tell the whole story, one of a year that’s seen dominant runs cut short for one reason or another.

“Throughout the summer, we led so many laps and had so many great race cars and so many great weekends that would just — things would happen,” Truex explained. “Sometimes it was just rotten luck, sometimes it was mistakes or just circumstances that didn’t play out. But I think that the biggest thing is we just kept our heads in the game. We stayed focused on the things that truly matter, and when all that bad luck went away, here we are. I mean, it’s just been amazing.”

The bottom line is that any one of the 11 other teams moving into the Round of 12 that isn’t paying attention to Truex and the No. 78 team is sorely mistaken. After all, this group has shown it has the strength to take the battle all the way to Homestead.

FOUR: Erik Jones is on the cusp of being eliminated from the XFINITY Chase

When the XFINITY Series headed to Kentucky Speedway last weekend, Erik Jones entered as the number one seed and a favorite to win the championship after scoring four wins and 16 top 10s in the first 26 races. But after finishes of 28th and 16th at Kentucky and Dover, respectively, suddenly, he is just one race away from being eliminated for the Chase.

It all began with Kentucky when Jones, who was running inside the top 5 at the time, slid up the track and into Ty Dillon, wrecking both drivers. The ensuing 28th-place finish dropped him to the lowest point he’s been in the standings since the second race of the season.

Heading into Dover, Jones had high hopes of repeating the trip to Victory Lane he had made earlier in the year, and the weekend started off strong. After leading the field to green, Jones led 54 of the first 56 laps before problems with the right front tire dropped him six spots on a lap 69 restart. He later found himself two laps down, struggling with grip, and while it appeared Jones might be able to pull out a top 10, a late-race pit stop for gas dropped him to a 16th-place finish.

Leaving Dover, Jones finds himself ninth, just four markers behind the cutoff line.

“We’re a lot better than that,” Jones said of his run at Dover. “It’s pretty embarrassing not to even be in the Chase right now for the next round. We have a lot of work to do and we have to have a good run at Charlotte for sure. It’s just unfortunate, it’s just something that I never would have seen it coming. Pretty disappointed.”

But despite the mounting pressure, Jones appears to have a level head, knowing that he needs a clean race and a solid finish at Charlotte, something the No. 20 team is plenty capable of achieving.

“We have a good team, we just have to do it right,” he explained. “Hopefully we have a better car next week at Charlotte to go out and hopefully get into the next round. A lot of work and a lot of pressure, but I think we can do it.”

While a four-point deficit isn’t all that much to overcome, Just ask Kyle Larson, who was above the cutoff line for the Sprint Cup Chase heading into Dover but instead suffered problems and found himself on the outside looking in.

FIVE: Welcome home, teams

This weekend, Sprint Cup and XFINITY series teams get the chance to spend some extra time at home as both series head to Charlotte Motor Speedway. The annual breast cancer awareness weekend begins on Thursday with the Better Half Dash, a Bandolero race that gives the women of NASCAR a chance to turn the tables on their significant others and race to raise money for charity.

The XFINITY race on Friday night holds the Chase hopes of 12 drivers in its grasp, and four will walk away disappointed when the checkered flag flies. Meanwhile, the Sprint Cup Series begins the Round of 12 at the same place where Martin Truex, Jr. dominated in the Coca-Cola 600, leading all but eight laps en route to Victory Lane.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/10/04/5-points-to-ponder-and-then-there-were-12/feed/15 Points to Ponder: Who’s Getting Cut?https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/27/5-points-to-ponder-whos-getting-cut/
Tue, 27 Sep 2016 04:08:48 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=124977Who’s Getting Cut: After Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway, the series will make the first cuts of the 2016 Chase. As things stand, it’s Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher who make up the bottom four and will be out of contention should all remain constant. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson is …

It’s fair to say with a track like Dover that anything can happen — and typically, when it does happen, it is quick. Buescher, for whom making the Chase was a victory in itself, looks to be done barring an unlikely victory. Smoke, too, looks to be in trouble, but the deficit is small enough for him to turn it around.

“He can go to any racetrack and perform,” Sunday’s race winner Kevin Harvick said. “He can go to any racetrack and win. He’s Tony Stewart. I wouldn’t bet against him. I don’t know what his circumstances and scenario are going into Dover, but we’ll do everything we can to help him get to the point where he needs to be to try to move on.”

Whether Stewart can move on is very much in the balance, but, just as has been the case throughout his career, if anyone can get it done, Smoke would be that wheelman.

The Monster Mile:
Dover has 24 degrees of banking in the corners and nine degrees on the straightaways. Nicknamed the Monster Mile, the track was opened in 1969 and was originally an asphalt surface until a repave 21 years ago in 1995.

This race will be No. 94 for Cup at the circuit, with the first race being won by none other than the seven-time champion himself, Richard Petty. Another multi-time champion, Jimmie Johnson (who has six titles to call his own), has the most wins at the track, with a record-busting 10. Johnson’s car owner Jeff Gordon, who will fill in for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. again, holds most of the other statistical records (four poles, equal with Ryan Newman; 18 top 5s; 26 top 10s; lead-lap finishes (32).

This is slated to be Gordon’s penultimate race, with Martinsville Speedway later in the Chase his final ride for the year. Are we once again seeing the end of Gordon’s illustrious and storied racing career? We thought so last year, so perhaps I shouldn’t even suggest it.

Sadler Wins XFINITY Chase Opener:
Here are the facts: Elliott Sadler‘s race win last Saturday in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Kentucky Speedway was his 13th in 323 starts, his third of the season and his second in the last four races. Sadler took the lead with just four laps remaining and held off Daniel Suarez to pick up a hugely emotional victory.

“We fought through a lot tonight,” Sadler said post-race. “We had a 10th- or 15th-place car at best. We decided to come in, really take our time and work on it. We had good calls by Kevin [Meendering, crew chief] and the guys to get us in position. This team has no quit in it, we just fight to the end. This is a great way to start the Chase.”

Sadler, let’s not forget, finished ninth in the inaugural Sprint Cup Chase all the way back in 2004 and has finished second in the XFINITY Series championship in 2011 and 2012, but as yet has not won a series season championship. Off to a great start, perhaps this year is when Sadler finally gets it done.

The Margin of Victory:
How about a cool little racing stat? Kevin Harvick, race winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past weekend, led the fewest laps by a 2016 race winner in the Cup Series, with just eight.

The next closest were Denny Hamlin at Watkins Glen International (10 laps led), Chris Buescher at Pocono Raceway (12) and Tony Stewart at Sonoma Raceway (22).

This statistic kind of surprised me in that there wasn’t a lower number than eight. I would have thought, without remembering the minutiae of each race, there would have been a smaller number – not least given the series has run three races at restrictor-plate tracks. I wonder if this particular statistic will change before the season has played out; I’m thinking yes. For now, it’s another (essentially useless) racing stat I’ll commit to memory along with all the other ones.

Ads! Ads Everywhere!:
I watched the race in real time this past weekend, which is something I almost never do given my Sunday schedule. And wow, did I remember why I don’t do that anymore. At times it feels like it’s one long series of commercials with the odd cutaway for a lap or two. CawsnJaws.com does a great job in recording the details for each race, and for Sunday’s (just over) 300-miler we saw 46 minutes of commercials in a 192-minute broadcast, plus another eight minutes of side-by-side ads.

So we’re looking at approximately 25 percent of the total race broadcast devoted to sponsor messages. In all, that works out at 57 companies advertising across 98 individual commercials.

I fully understand these sponsors help pay the bills, but there has to be a better solution, there really does. Maybe it’s something the new title sponsor could help tackle. Well, that is if we ever find a new one of those, right, folks?

]]>5 Points to Ponder: “Chase”-ing The Chase at Hendrick Motorsportshttps://frontstretch.com/2016/09/20/5-points-to-ponder-chase-ing-the-chase-at-hendrick-motorsports/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/20/5-points-to-ponder-chase-ing-the-chase-at-hendrick-motorsports/#commentsTue, 20 Sep 2016 05:04:15 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=124574ONE: Cape Fear For Jimmie Johnson, the comparison to Superman has been made many times over and for most of the first half of Sunday’s race that seemed an apt appraisal as the six-time champion dominated the early proceedings leading a race-best 118 circuits. But then a speeding penalty on pit road in a round …

For Jimmie Johnson, the comparison to Superman has been made many times over and for most of the first half of Sunday’s race that seemed an apt appraisal as the six-time champion dominated the early proceedings leading a race-best 118 circuits. But then a speeding penalty on pit road in a round of green flag stops mired Johnson back in the back – all but ending his chances of a morale-boosting first victory since he won at Auto Club Speedway in March in the fifth race of the season. “I just can’t believe I got in trouble down there leaving the pits,” said a resigned Johnson post-race. “I’m making adjustments and I was dumbfounded that happened. You can’t argue it.” Compounding matters, the No. 48 car failed the post-race laser inspection station twice. At the time of writing, points penalties haven’t been assessed but this will likely be a P2-level infraction which could see Johnson fined 10 driver points. So what started out looking like a really positive opening to the Chase became something of a fiasco for a team that just hasn’t looked quite up to speed all year long. Now obviously it’s far too early to write off the 16-year, 534-race veteran but it’s fair to say it’s not looking as rosy as it could have done midway through the race.

TWO: So close and yet so far

In the end it was a third-place finish for Chase Elliott – a very respectable start to his first ever NASCAR playoff campaign. But the bigger story was that he didn’t pick up the victory that looked all but his before a (very) late caution. Elliott paced the field for 75 of the 267 laps and looked strong out front before the final pit stop jumbled up the running order and saw the rookie slide out of contention. “That’s a fact of life,” pointed out Elliott with regard to the late race caution. “I guess fortunately and unfortunately I’ve raced long enough to know that these races don’t go green for that long period of time. We see more late-race cautions than we do not; that’s just the world we live in. It was expected; it’s going to happen.” Elliott’s strong run was something that race winner Martin Truex, Jr. acknowledged: “First off, I want to say I feel for Chase, I know what he’s going through. He did a great job. I wasn’t going to catch him.” But all the platitudes in the world mean little to nothing to Elliott who has looked likely to take the checkers more than once in his nascent 32-race career. All that said, you can’t help but feel Chase’s time is coming and that time is sooner rather than later.

Will Chase Elliott win a Sprint Cup race before the end of this season?

Can Matt Kenseth pull off a second straight New Hampshire burnout Sunday and celebrate a rare season sweep? (Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Next up, we head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for race two of whatever we’re calling this first three-race segment of the Chase this year. Thankfully there are no turtles or other strange creatures in the race title — the New England 300 – which feels much more apropos. This is the second trip of the season to the 1.058-mile flat track and the 44th Cup race at the “Magic Mile.” Matt Kenseth won the July race, leading the last 31 laps, one of two races he’s won in 2016 so far. The other win, perhaps appropriately, came at Dover International Speedway – the location for the next race. Jeff Gordon, who will not be racing in the #88 car this weekend, holds most of the statistical records (16 top-5’s, 24 top-10’s, 1,373 laps led and 36 lead-lap finishes). The one record he doesn’t hold is wins. Gordon has three to NBC broadcaster Jeff Burton’s four. With just three hundred laps to race (317-ish miles) there is no margin for error, especially for those Chasers on the bubble, so expect some drama particularly if we get into a rash of late race cautions. You never know quite what you’ll get at Loudon in terms of a competitive race, so it will be interesting to see what transpires this weekend, that’s for sure.

FOUR: Champion Pagenaud

It was a dominant race at Sonoma Raceway capping off an equally dominant season for Simon Pagenaud who won his first Verizon IndyCar Series title in style. His only challenger, Will Power, suffered an electrical problem with his clutch on lap 36 (of 85 total) which saw the Australian, who won the title in 2014, go eight laps down and completely out of contention. “It’s unbelievable, I think I will realize more tomorrow,” noted an emotional Pagenaud after it was all said and done. “My whole career has been about this, about today and getting to this point, getting to this level and running up front like that when you need it, for an athlete, I think when you can perform 100 percent under pressure like this is amazing. It’s such a great feeling.” For Power, it was a fourth second place overall finish in his eight full years of racing and you have to wonder had the chips fallen differently just how many championships the wheelman for the #12 Verizon car could have won. But to anyone following IndyCar this year, Pagenaud has been the man to beat with the Frenchman winning five of the 16 races. He ended up on the podium eight times, led a series best 406 laps and had an average finish of 6.1. Congrats to the champ – no one can argue that he didn’t deserve his maiden crown.

This weekend will see the start of the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase with 12 drivers competing across three segments and eight races for the title. Some of those drivers will be delighted to get a shot at a championship but for the points leader, veteran Elliott Sadler, it’s anything but delight. Sadler, a model of consistency in 2016 with 2 wins, ten top-5’s and a metronomic 23 top-10’s, will see a big points lead eviscerated. “Man, I wish NASCAR could wait until next year to start the Chase,” said Sadler. “It’s hard to give up that many points. Fifty-eight points ahead, and we know we’re all going to be reset.” All told, Sadler has run 777 races across the three series (435 Cup, 322 XFINITY and 20 Truck races) and nary a championship. Could this year be the year he breaks that title-less streak? Let’s hope so. Sadler is one of the true good guys in our great sport.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/20/5-points-to-ponder-chase-ing-the-chase-at-hendrick-motorsports/feed/1Five Points to Ponder: Chasing Carshttps://frontstretch.com/2016/09/13/five-points-to-ponder-chasing-cars/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/13/five-points-to-ponder-chasing-cars/#commentsTue, 13 Sep 2016 06:52:06 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=124014ONE: The Chase And now we get down to the serious business of the season and the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup – to give it the full and official name. 26 races are in the books and just ten remain before we crown this year’s champion. Now I realize that many of the …

And now we get down to the serious business of the season and the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup – to give it the full and official name. 26 races are in the books and just ten remain before we crown this year’s champion. Now I realize that many of the folks who read this fine site are still very much against the whole concept of the playoffs but at this point, after more than a decade of this format, it is what it is and it certainly isn’t changing. This is, put another way, the new normal – warts and all. So, what will we see these next ten weeks? Obviously we only have a small sample size of two years as a comparison but if there is one thing I would say it’s that someone we don’t expect will make it all the way to the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 2015, it was Ryan Newman, while last year it was Jeff Gordon in what was supposed to be the swan song to his epic career (before Dale Junior’s concussion issues arose). Who might be the surprise name this time around? If I had to lay down some hard earned greenbacks – how about Kyle Larson, who is coming into the playoffs with the best momentum in his 101-race, 4-year top echelon career? Let’s not forget he nearly made it two wins in three races on Saturday night. Either way, whether you like it or not, the playoffs are here and no doubt all the associated drama. Pull those belts down tight, drivers, this one could be a wild ride.

TWO: 500 up for McMurray

Saturday night’s Richmond International Raceway was a milestone race for Jamie McMurray in two huge ways. First off, and more importantly, his seventh-place finish was enough to secure a berth in the 2016 Playoffs. Secondly, it was also his 500th start at the Sprint Cup level, a testament to his longevity and driving abilities over the past 15 years. All told, McMurray has 7 wins, 57 top-5’s, 140 top-10’s and an average finish of 15. Given he’s coming into the Chase as a 16th (and final) seed that seems curiously appropriate. “This is huge for the organization,” said McMurray post-race on Saturday night. “We truly are peaking at the right time. Kyle winning at Michigan and both of our cars have honestly been top-five cars the last three or four weeks. That’s huge. I think the Gibbs cars are still strongest but we’re not far away from them…This should be a lot of fun.” Now how long the fun will actually last becomes the key question for both McMurray and his teammate Kyle Larson. It’s a thought echoed by team principal Chip Ganassi: “We’ve worked hard to get in this position, but let’s face it, the real work starts now…And we seem to have some momentum at the right time.” The next ten weeks will show how much validity that statement has. Either way, it should be fun to watch.

It wasn’t just Jamie McMurray who notched the 500-race milestone on Saturday, with Greg Biffle also hitting the auspicious mark as well. The Biff won a Camping World Truck Series title in 2000 and then followed it up with an XFINITY Series title two year later. All told, Biffle has 19 Cup Series wins, 92 top-5’s and 175 top-10’s all of which have come running for Jack Roush. “I’m really excited about making my 500th start,” said Biffle prior to the race in a statement issued to the media. “It’s been a great ride and it’s amazing how fast the time goes by. I’ve got a lot of memories, wins, close races and fun times. I’ve won a lot of great races and look forward to running for that third championship.” At 46 years of age, that window for a Cup championship and a full set of top-level NASCAR titles is closing. It’s not impossible, certainly, but there won’t be many more opportunities for the veteran and of course it won’t be the case this year. Still, 500 races are an impressive effort however you slice it. Here’s to one more run at a Cup crown for the amiable veteran.

FOUR: Next Up, Chicagoland

We open the Chase this Sunday afternoon at the tri-oval mile-and-a-half Chicagoland Speedway track with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (and no, sadly, I’m not making that up – nothing like a bit of decorum and gravitas, huh?) This will be the first of three races before the initial cull from 16 to 12 drivers and it’s likely one Chase participant will secure a berth straight through to the second round with a win. This will be Cup race number 16 at the cookie-cutter circuit and it was a race won last year by Denny Hamlin. It’s interesting to note, too, that in 2011 (Tony Stewart) and 2012 (Brad Keselowski) the race was won by the driver who would go on to lift the big wavy silver trophy in Homestead-Miami Raceway. Another slightly odd side note is that we had precisely six cautions for 28 laps under yellow flag in each of the past two races at the venue. Tony Stewart has the most wins (3). What price another win for the three time champion this weekend? I’d say it’s unlikely but we would have said that in 2011 and we all know what happened that year.

FIVE: My Final Four

There will be a fair bit of prognostication this week as to which drivers will make it to the final four so I figured I’d tip my hat in that direction for my final point of the week. I’m going with Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin to be the drivers who’ll start the final race of the season in contention with Martin Truex, Jr. being my pick to win it all. Who have you all got? Let me know in the comments section below.

]]>https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/13/five-points-to-ponder-chasing-cars/feed/65 Points To Ponder: Was Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek Aggression Too Much?https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/06/five-points/
https://frontstretch.com/2016/09/06/five-points/#commentsTue, 06 Sep 2016 04:36:22 +0000https://frontstretch.com/?p=123751ONE: A Look At Those Locked In With Darlington in the books, the Chase field for the Sprint Cup Series has gotten substantially clearer. Of the 16 Chase spots, 12 have been tentatively filled by race winners who have clinched finishing the regular season in the top 30. These 12 drivers include, by order of …

With Darlington in the books, the Chase field for the Sprint Cup Series has gotten substantially clearer. Of the 16 Chase spots, 12 have been tentatively filled by race winners who have clinched finishing the regular season in the top 30. These 12 drivers include, by order of Chase grid:

For each win a driver earns in the regular season, that driver will be given three bonus points after the points are reset to 2,000. For example, both Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, assuming neither wins this weekend at Richmond, will both start the Chase with 2012 points while third through eighth will begin the Chase with 2006 points.

For these 12 drivers, this weekend may be the last “no pressure” race of their season. Sure, a win and three bonus points would be an excellent way to start the Chase off. But it wouldn’t be a complete disaster to have a bad race due to the points being reset immediately following.

TWO: A Look At Drivers On The Bubble

In an interesting turn of events, there was another winner this regular season but he isn’t locked into the top 30 just yet. Chris Buescher got the hard part out of the way by winning a rain delayed race at Pocono last month but enters Richmond 30th in points, just 11 points ahead of David Ragan. Buescher needs to finish seventh to clinch and make it into the Chase, or at the very least finish no more than 9 places behind Ragan and 26 places behind Regan Smith.

Because of Buescher’s fight to remain in the top 30 and Ryan Newman’s possible penalty after failing post-race Darlington inspection, everything gets a little murky. Right now, here is essentially the battle to be in the Chase via points:

Austin Dillon (-8 points): Cutoff line if there is a new eligible winner and Buescher stays in.

Jamie McMurray (-17 points): Cut-off line if either Buescher stays in and there are no new eligible winners or if there is a new eligible winner and Buescher doesn’t stay in.

Ryan Newman (-24 points before any possible penalties): Cutoff line if there are no new eligible winners and Buescher doesn’t stay in.

Kasey Kahne (-61 points): Kahne would need a lot to happen as of now to mathematically have a shot to make it in on points. But Newman’s potential penalty could bring the Washington state native back into viable play if Newman falters and if there are no new eligible winners and Buescher doesn’t stay in. Kahne cannot pass McMurray in points unless he wins, which would give him a spot on the Chase Grid anyway.

All drivers in the top 30 in points following Richmond can make it onto the Chase Grid by winning the race. Ragan and Smith would both need to make it into the top 30 in addition to winning. The only full time drivers who are officially locked out of the Chase are Brian Scott, Matt DiBennedetto, and Michael Annett (Who would be locked out regardless due to missing Bristol two weeks ago).

Finally, there is a possibility that if Buescher falls out of the top 30, there are no new eligible winners, and both McMurray and Newman struggle that the No. 88 Chevrolet could sneak into the Owner’s points Chase. Jeff Gordon will be in the car this week and with how well the car has ran with both himself and Alex Bowman, they could go far in the Owner’s Chase if given the chance.

THREE: Crazy Truck Finish

The finish of the Camping World Truck Series race at MoSport, or Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (proper) was absolute, pure insanity that has led to a lot of controversy in the NASCAR community. Did John Hunter Nemechek step out of line with his actions coming to the finish line, running Cole Custer off the track?

It depends. A lot of people have double standards when it comes to these type of finishes. Some people who were perfectly fine when Cale Gale ran Kyle Busch into the wall a few years ago at Homestead may have come out of the woodwork criticizing this finish just because Busch didn’t receive the worst end of the stick on this one. Some who worship Dale Earnhardt Sr. have said Nemechek crossed the line but turn a blind eye to Earnhardt Sr. taking out Terry Labonte in a 1999 Bristol race.

The reality of the situation is this: these are two young drivers who can afford to be overly aggressive with their equipment. Yes, Nemechek may have made a dumb move, but at the very least he made it for a win and not 11th like a lot of young drivers coming up today do. Nobody should hold this over him five years from now. Nobody cares that Chase Elliott possibly dumped Ty Dillon in this same race in 2013. Same thing with Cole Custer tackling Nemechek after the race. Oh my God, a driver acted like losing a race matters and didn’t just say “Oh shucks, we’ll get ‘em next time.” What a travesty. Having outside media even mention the sport when they wouldn’t otherwise isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing.

FOUR: Harvick’s pit problems continue

Kevin Harvick did the right thing putting his pit crew under the bus on national television on Sunday. Why? Because nothing else seems to be working.

Harvick had the best pit box due to qualifying being rained out and the pit crew once again did nothing with it. Granted, one of the pit stops were hurt by a malfunctioning air gun, but it’s pretty sad when barely maintaining their position on the final stop of the race might as well have been a cause for celebration.

“Oh, but Harvick should have waited until he was in the shop on Monday before voicing his concerns.” No, because either Harvick is an idiot or he’s been doing that for a while now. Don’t think Harvick said anything after Dover, when he dominated before the pit crew had a terrible day, again in the best pit box on pit road? Keeping his concerns private just wasn’t changing anything.

FIVE: Darlington Should Be It

Darlington should be the final race before the Chase. It’s in a great time slot, it’s a major race, and it’s right before football takes over most of the sports media.

Richmond has been the final stop before the Chase since the play-off system’s inception in 2004, but it just feels a little smaller now that Darlington is over. It’s kind of like the Super Bowl back in the 80’s where the real game was generally the NFC championship game and the Super Bowl was an afterthought.

Richmond would be an even more important race as the first race in the Chase now that most of the Chase field is locked in going into Richmond anyway. They’d be locked in going into Darlington too but Darlington has the prestige and action to make it a can’t miss race without the Chase. Richmond has had some good races for years but there are still plenty of snoozers (Last year Matt Kenseth led 352 of 400 laps on his way to victory) and a lot of the drama has hinged on who can make it into the Chase. With how many drivers get into the Chase now, a lot of said drama has gone away. Now it’s a hang over after the Darlington throwback weekend, a largely skippable race last year unless you really wanted to see if Paul Menard could hold on to his Chase spot.

A Richmond Chase race would spice a lot of things up and help diversify the Chase tracks. Do we really need five 1.5 mile tracks in the Chase? Moving Kansas or Chicagoland out and putting Richmond in would make the Chase just a little more interesting.